Hartford, Wi – A copper box time capsule discovered inside the cornerstone of Hartford City Hall is now on display at Museum 53027, giving visitors a rare glimpse into life in Hartford nearly a century ago. Sally Jensen, who helped lead the effort to locate and recover the time capsule, said the discovery began while she was documenting the history of downtown buildings.
“I was doing documentation on the history of Hartford City Hall,” Jensen said. “I saw an article that mentioned putting a time capsule in the cornerstone in city hall in 1930.”
Jensen said the search took about a year and included extensive research, a concrete scan and assistance from multiple organizations before the box was finally located.
“When the day came to finally take a look at this, we kind of hit a dead end at first,” Jensen said. “But then I showed them the picture and said, ‘I think it’s here.’ And well, sure enough, there it was.”
The copper box suffered decades of moisture exposure, leaving many of the contents damp and fragile.
“Some of the treasures inside were an old telephone directory from 1930,” Jensen said. “There were many photographs that were now dissolved, but the names were there.”
Museum visitors can now view restored newspapers and documents that were carefully dried and preserved in acid-free sleeves. Jensen said the newspapers provide a fascinating look at everyday life and local issues from nearly 100 years ago.
“What impressed me with these papers was what was being written about are similar to things happening now,” she said. “We’re complaining about our politics. We’re complaining about our government. People are making their voices heard. They’re saying to the editor, ‘No, those weren’t the facts. These are the facts.’ So, here we are, 2026, and you’re still kind of having that same dialogue.”
Jensen said the display is a valuable addition for Hartford’s museum.
“The reason why this is such a great event for Hartford is because we now have Museum 53027 located on Main Street Hartford and this is such a great addition for them to have to be able to curate this and display this for the length of time that the museum’s here,” she said.
The museum will also host a check presentation from the Hartford Business Improvement District on Thursday, June 11. Jensen said the BID has committed significant support to the museum.
“They have dedicated $5,000 for five years to the museum here in Hartford,” Jensen said.
Calling the commitment “wonderful and very generous,” Kevin Esser from Museum 53027 thanked local organizations for their continued support of the museum and encouraged the public to stop in and see the exhibit.
On Thursday, June 11, 2026, the Hartford BID will be presenting a check to support Museum 53027. The Museum, 57 N. Main Street, will be open from noon – 4 p.m.
